Improvement in brick-machines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. K. GALDWELL. Briok-Machnes. No. 206,771. Patented Aug. 6,1878.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

J. K. OALDWELL. Brok-Machines.

Patented ug. 6.1878

M /IN VE N T OR. A TT ORNE YS.

mmm, FNOTO-LIYHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED S'I'Arns PATENT OFFICE JOHN K. OALDWELL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN BRICK-MACHINES.

Specifieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 206,771, dated August 1875; application filed December 11, 1877.

To all whom fit may concem:

Be it known that I, JOHN K. CALDwELL, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brick- Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, in whieh Figure l is a Vertical longitudinal section; Fig. 2, a perspective detail of ,the plungers'; Fi g. 3, a side elevation, and Fi g. 4 a transverse Vertical section, of my invention.

My invention consists in the peculiar construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth, having reference partieularly to the following points: first, so construeting the hopper th at the mold-wheel will be charged therefrom with loose elay and the additional elay required to form the bricks when compression is applied will be measured before bein g acted upon by the pressure-wheel; second, to constructing the hopper with adivision formiug a separate mcasuring-ehamber and combining therewith a peculiarly-arranged slide for adjusting the area of the cntrance to said measuring-chamber; third, to the provision of a rotating wiper having rubber, leather, or equivalent strips inserted in radia-.1 blades for cleaning the faces of the mojld-boxes and plungers; fourth, to the provision of a secondary bearin g or guide for the plnnger-stems; fifth, to the formation on the under side of the plungers of chambers for the reception of elay that may work to the bottom of the mold-boxes around the sides of said plungers.

Ieferring to the aecompanying drawiug, A designates the main frame of the machine; B, the housing, in which are sustained the mold and pressure wheels C and D, respectively;

and E, the hopper. The sides of the hopper are indicated by the letter 8, and 8I shows one of its ends. The other end consists of a partition, 82, which terminates a short (listance above the mold-wheel O, where it is attached to a board, 83, concentric with the said wheel. Said board 83 forms the ceiling and said wheel the bottom of the measuring-chamber E', the

sides of the hopper forming the side walls of said Chamber.

The partition 82, with the board 8, is designed to be Vertically adjustable, so as to inerease and diminish, as may be required, the depth of the ehamber E' or the distance between its ceilin g 83 and the mold-wheel O.

F represents a stirrer or radially-armed shaft, having' bear-in gs in the sides of the hopper, the object of said stirrer being to keep the elay in the hopper in a pulverized condition, to prevent its paeking, and also to feed such elay into the mold-boxes and the measuring-chaniber.

G represents a slide, which moves between the sides 8 of the hopper, and is made fast when adj usted by means of a set-screw, g. Said slide is inclined, as shown, so that when pnshed in or down it will cover or encroaeh upon the passa-ge 84, which forms the entrance to the measuring-chambcr W. The angle of inclination of this slide is such as would make the line of said slide, if extended, form a tangent to the circle described by the outer cxtremities of the arms of the stirrer F, and would cause it to intersect the periphery of the mold-wheel (l.

The mold-wheel U has boxes or molds 8 in its periphery or face, and within these boxes are plungers or cjeetors, designed to effect the ejection of the bricks after being molded. The stems or rods of said plungers are shown at 82, and pass through the bottoms of the boxes 8 and radially through openings in an annnla-r fiange, C', affixed on the side of and moving with the mold-wheel C, said flange affording a secondary bearin g or guide for said stems. H and H' are cams affixed to the housing` B, and Operating' to alternately push out and to withdraw said plungers by contact, respectively, with the inner ends of the stems of the latter and with eross-pins 83 therein.

The backs or under sides of the plungers are rabbeted, as shown at 04, to forln, with the bottom and sides of the boxes 8, chambers to receive any elay which may work in or around the edges of said plungers, and which would prevent said plungers from coming home to their seats on the bottoms of said boxes.

The feed and pressure wheel D has a plain periphery, and may be run either by frictional contact with the mold-wheel or by gearing with the latter, as shown. This wheel feed's the clay from the measnring-chamber E into the mold-boxes and compresses the same therein. To vary the quantity of clay so fed or taken by said pressure-wheel I), the housing B is vertically adjustable, swinging or swiveling in its seat a on the frame A, and being made fast when the dcsired adjustment is secnrcd by means of retaining' pins or screws i, passing through the standard l, and similar devices cntering the frame A.

To increase the feed of wheel I) the housing B is lowered, while to diminish such feed said housing is raiscd, swinginr on its fulcrum or seat,as already sug'gested. To vary the distance of the pressm'e-wheel I) from the mold-wheel which distanee is not atfected by the swinging', as deseribed. of the housing', the former is monnted in sliding; bearing's or boxes (I, which may bc moved in slots b in said housinfl'.

K represents the cut-off knife for rcmoving' excess clay from the bricks after they have been moldcd and before being' ejectcd froin the boxes. Said knife is caused to reciprocate rapidly in guides 7;, being: actuated by a toggle, kl, which dcrives its movemcnt, through a lever and collar, 7.2, from an eccentric, I, on al fast-running' shaft, L. The efl'eet of this movemcnt of the knife is to remove, by a series of short rapid strokes, t he excess clay, and thereby to obtain a cleaner surface, or cut than is obtainable by means ofa stationary knife against which the bricks are pressed or borne by the rotation ot' the mold-wheel.

M represents a shaft snstaincd on the frame A, and havingr radial blades m, iu which are inserted strips of rubber, leather, or eqnivalent material m'. This shaft is arrang'ed in such proximity to the mold-wheel (l and is run at such speed that it will completely rotate at least once, and preferablytwicc, while each mold-box is passine'. so that the faces of the mold-boxes and of the plnngers will be wiped once or twice by each of the strips m' in passing` the shaft ll.

The operation is snbstantially as follows: (`lay fed into the hopper is kept from packing' bymeans ofthe stirrer F, which fecds such clay into the measnring-chamber l'l' and into the mold-boxes c as they pass beneath. The loose clay in the mcasuring-cllamber is fed into the mold-boxes by the feed andpressure wheel l), which eompresscs said claytherein and forms the briclis. The mold-wheel continning` to rotate. the brichs therein are brought into contact with the cut-ofi' knife, which, by a series of short rapid strokes,e1eanly and sharply removes all excess clay. The bricks are then ejected from the mold-boxes by the plungers, which remain out with their faces in line with the periphery of the mold-wheel until they have passed the wiper M. The plungers are then withdrawn by the action of the cams II', leaving the mold-boxes free to receive a fresh charge. Any excess clay which may work down around the plungers will pass into the chambers ct, and be retained there until removed by cleaning out. A stationary oiler may be used to oil the faees of the plnngers before they pass into the hopper, such device to be of any suitable material that will hold oil and rest lightly on the mold-wheel.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a brick-machine having arotary mold cylinder 01' wheel, O, the combination therewith of ahopper, 1'1, provided with a separate measurin g-chamber, E' substantiall y as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a briek machine having' a mold-wheel, the combination, with the lat-tor, ot' the hop- 1crI],having' the scparatemeasnring-chamber E', in communication therewith, said measurin g'-chamberhaving the capacity of its month adjnstable m' variable, snbstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

.'l. In a brick-machinc, thehopper l'1,havin,'.'' a division forming a separate measnring-ehambcr,l'1', and an inclined slide, G, arranged substantially as shown, so as to adjust the area of the entrance to said mcasuring-chamber, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with the mold-wheel the rcciprocating;` cut-off knife lx", arranged and Operating` snbstantially as shown and described.

5. The revolving' wiper consistng' of the shaft M, having blades m and tlcxiblc strips m', substantially as shown and deseribed.

(i. The plung'ers 02,1'abbetcd at c't to form chambers for any clay which may work aromul their edges or sides. snbstantially as shown and deseribed.

In testimony that I claim the forcgoing' l have herennto set my haml this lQth day of December. lTT.

.IUIIN K. ('.\I.l)\\'l'1hh.

\\'ituesscs:

SAMI.. .L VAN STAvonux, (JnAs. F. VA): Hontv. 

